Marie Windsor Movies
A Utah girl born and bred, actress
Marie Windsor attended Brigham Young University and represented her state as Miss Utah in the Miss America pageant. She studied acting under Russian stage and screen luminary
Maria Ouspenskaya, supporting herself as a telephone operator between performing assignments. After several years of radio appearances and movie bits, Windsor was moved up to feature-film roles in 1947's
Song of the Thin Man. She was groomed to be a leading lady, but her height precluded her co-starring with many of Hollywood's sensitive, slightly built leading men. (She later noted with amusement that at least one major male star had a mark on his dressing room door at the 5'6" level; if an actress was any taller than that, she was out.) Persevering, Windsor found steady work in second-lead roles as dance hall queens, gun molls, floozies, and exotic villainesses. She is affectionately remembered by disciples of director
Stanley Kubrick for her portrayal of
Elisha Cook's cold-blooded, castrating wife in
The Killing (1956). Curtailing her screen work in the late '80s, Windsor, who is far more agreeable in person than onscreen, began devoting the greater portion of her time to her sizeable family. Because of her many appearances in Westerns (she was an expert horsewoman), Windsor has become a welcome and highly sought-after presence on the nostalgia convention circuit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

- 2001
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- Add Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures to Queue
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Stanley Kubrick was one of the most acclaimed and controversial filmmakers of his generation, but he was also an intensely private man who rarely gave interviews and produced most of his films under a shroud of secrecy, which tended to foster a great deal of rumor and speculation about his working methods. Jan Harlan, who worked as Kubrick's assistant and executive producer on several projects (and was also his brother-in-law), directed this documentary, which offers a rare in-depth look into Kubrick's career as a filmmaker, structured around interviews with a number of actors, writers, technicians, composers, friends, and family who speak on the record about his relentless perfectionism, his creative vision, his life both on and off the set, his relationships with actors, his unrealized projects, and his importance and influence as an artist. Among those who share their thoughts in Stanley Kubrick -- A Life In Pictures are actors Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Malcolm McDowell, Peter Ustinov, and Keir Dullea; writers Arthur C. Clarke and Michael Herr; special effects artist Douglas Trumbull; composers Wendy Carlos and Gyorgy Ligeti; filmmakers Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Paul Mazursky, and Sydney Pollack; and Kubrick's spouse Christiane Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick -- A Life In Pictures was originally produced as a television project, to be aired in three parts, though the project was shown in its entirety at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, (more)

- 1991
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Imagine the astonishment of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) when she picks up a newspaper and reads that she has been killed in a Texas car accident! In truth, the dead woman was Marge Allen (Jane Withers), arguably the most obsessive member of the Jessica Fletcher Fan Club. While impersonating Jessica, Marge decided to investigate a scandal at a local dog-show, only to perish in the aforementioned "accident." Now that she's in the unique position of probing into her "own" murder, Jessica has time aplenty to grill the obligatory suspects, among them a kennel owner, the owner's wife, and a trigger-happy hunter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1987
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The scene is a small town in Idaho where corruption is a way of life. The outraged populace have voted in a "reform" mayor, but he soon dies mysteriously--and when the mayor's father demands an investigation, he too turns up dead. Unfortunately for the villains, Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) happens to be in town on personal business--and wherever Jessica Fletcher shows up, someone is going to end up doing the "perp walk". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1987
- R
Drug enforcement agent Cat (Kathy Shower) is sent to Mexico by her boss (Robert Quarry) when fellow agent and former boyfriend Clint (Brian Thompson) is held captive by cocaine-trafficking fiends. The head of the drug cartel turns out to be Morgan (William Smith), a former agent now on the wrong side of justice. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Brian Thompson, Kathy Shower, (more)

- 1985
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The title character in this made-for-TV movie, played by Gary Kasper, is an artificial "superhuman," created at the behest of the U.S. government to be the ultimate soldier. Unfortunately for the Feds, J.O.E. has been imbued with the genes of idealistic scientist Michael Moran (Terence Knox), an avowed pacifist. J.O.E. also has a mind of his own, rendering him incapable of following orders in which he does not believe. The humanoid hero's convictions -- and incredible strength -- are put to the test when a group of terrorists try to destroy the U.S. defense system. Clearly the pilot for a proposed (and never sold) series, J.O.E. and the Colonel (released to video as Humanoid Defender) made its ABC network debut on September 11, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1985
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In this pilot film for an unsuccessful TV series, a scientist and his android creation battle against nefarious government forces. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
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- 1982
- R
In this low-budget but inventive teen kung-fu melodrama, the diminutive, karate-chopping Lovely (Lucinda Dooling) is out to wreak vengeance on the drug thugs who killed her younger brother, and fortunately she is not alone. Her female karate class and the instructor (Susan Mechsner) are behind her all the way, most notably in the final scenes when a showdown between the kicking teen women and the heavy-duty gangsters almost brings down the docks. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Lucinda Dooling, John Randolph, (more)

- 1979
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- Add Salem's Lot to Queue
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Novelist David Soul returns to his hometown of Salem, finding that things have changed a bit. More than a bit, in fact: the previously warm and friendly community is downright sinister. Soul suspects that the bizarre behavior of his onetime friends and neighbors is the handiwork of oddball antique dealer James Mason. We won't reveal here the secret of Salem; suffice to say that the action goes directly to the jugular, and that makeup artists Jack Young and Ben Lane won an Emmy nomination. Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King, Salem's Lot was originally telecast in two parts on November 17 and 24, 1979; it was subsequently pared down to a single three-hour installment, which in turn was whittled down to about two hours for cable-TV play. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- David Soul, James Mason, (more)

- 1976
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This adventure is set in the South Pacific and chronicles the struggles of a group of airplane passengers to survive after their jet crashes upon a lonely island. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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- 1976
- G
- Add Freaky Friday to Queue
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Prolific television director Gary Nelson made the Walt Disney live-action comedy Freaky Friday, based on the novel by Mary Rodgers. Barbara Harris stars as suburban housewife Ellen Andrews, the wife of Bill (John Astin) and the mother of Annabel (Jodie Foster) and Ben (Sparky Marcus). Ellen just can't understand what's going on with teenaged Annabel, who hangs around the house making snappy remarks, eating ice cream for breakfast, and calling her brother Apeface. They each make a separate wish to be in the other's place, and they get their wish on Friday 13th. Ellen has to go through the day as a kid, playing on the field hockey team and dealing with typing class. Annabel has to deal with grown-up problems like getting appliances fixed and preparing a banquet. The whole silly story ends with a wacky car-chase/water skiing/hang-gliding conclusion in keeping with other Disney movies of the day. Freaky Friday was remade twice with the same title, and spawned a whole subgenre of body-switching movies in the 1980s. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Barbara Harris, Jodie Foster, (more)

- 1975
- PG
Hearts of the West (British title: Hollywood Cowboy) stars Jeff Bridges as Lewis Tater, a 1930s-era aspiring novelist who harbors dreams of becoming the next Zane Grey or Peter B. Kyne. He arrives in Nevada to seek out the correspondence school that has "graduated" him. After learning that he's been taken to the cleaners by crooks, he stumbles onto a threadbare film-unit grinding out "B" westerns. He is given a job by unit manager Kessler (Alan Arkin), then falls in love with spunky script girl Miss Trout (Blythe Danner). With the help of crusty stunt man Howard Pike (Andy Griffith), Tyler fends off the correspondence-school crooks who want the money that he has accidentally stolen from them. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Jeff Bridges, Andy Griffith, (more)

- 1974
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This pilot for a 1974-75 CBS TV series focuses on an ex-Marine (Ken Howard) who returns to Depression-era America to find his sister, who is heading a gang. ~ John Bush, Rovi
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- 1973
- PG
A two-bit criminal takes on the Mafia to avenge his brother's death in this drama based on a novel by Donald E. Westlake. Earl Macklin (Robert Duvall) is a small time criminal who is released from prison after an unsuccessful bank robbery only to discover that a pair of gunmen killed his brother. As it turns out, the bank that Earl and his brother hit was controlled by gangster Mailer (Robert Ryan). Macklin learns that he's on the mob's hit list as well, so he teams up with his old partner Cody (Joe Don Baker) to take on Mailer and his second in command, Jake Menner (Timothy Carey). The Outfit also features a top-notch supporting cast, including Karen Black, Sheree North, Joanna Cassidy, Richard Jaeckel, and Anita O'Day; Marie Windsor and Elisha Cook, Jr. also appear, 18 years after their memorable turn together in The Killing. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, Karen Black, (more)

- 1973
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Officer Jim Reed (Kent McCord) is intrigued and Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) is irritated by the voice of the new police dispatcher. Though she comes across as sexy and alluring, the newcomer is also rather confusing: it seems that no one can understand what she's saying or where she's sending them. Tonight's case log marks the return of police informer TeeJay (Robert Donner), who leads the cops to arrest a gunman at a movie studio; and a radical terrorist seems to be building up quite an illegal arsenal. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1973
- PG
- Add Cahill: United States Marshal to Queue
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John Wayne plays a lawman who has to deal with the problems of fatherhood in a big way in Cahill: United States Marshall. Wayne is J.D. Cahill, whose singular desire to track down law breakers strains his relationship with his two teenage sons --17-year-old Danny (Gary Grimes) and 12-year-old Billy Joe (Clay O'Brien). The film begins as Cahill is hot on the trail of a gang of outlaws. After the big showdown, he returns to town to discover that the local bank has been robbed. The sheriff and the deputy have been killed, and four bank robbers are imprisoned in the jail. He is stunned when he finds out that one of the robbers in jail is Cahill's son Danny. It seems that during Cahill's absence from home, his two sons have been enticed into a criminal life by nefarious outlaw Abe Fraser (George Kennedy). ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
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- Starring:
- John Wayne, Gary Grimes, (more)

- 1972
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Bruce Gordon, best known to 1960s TV fans as Frank Nitti on the original Untouchables series, is no less menacing in the role of modern-day bounty hunter Mike Dehner. Having come to Los Angeles in search of a bail jumper, Dehner makes no secret of his willingness to resort to violence to get his man--something that Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) are not about to let happen. Film noir stalwart Marie Windsor appears as a waitress who helps Jim and Pete stop Dehner dead in his tracks. And in a lighter moment, the two cops are confused when a woman demands that she be given a traffic ticket. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1971
- PG
In this western, a train robber is framed by a fellow gang member and sent to prison. The gang member betrayed him so that he could marry the robber's love. To get his revenge, the robber helps out a gang of Chinese whose father, the other guy kidnapped. A showdown between the two leads ensues. Naturally the hero wins it all. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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- 1971
- G
- Add Support Your Local Gunfighter to Queue
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This Western action/comedy is told in the same tongue-in-cheek manner as its predecessor, Support Your Local Sheriff. Goldie (Marie Windsor), a madam, is a formidable woman, and Latigo Smith (James Garner) knows perfectly well that his disreputable ways will be trimmed considerably should she succeed in marrying him. Instead, he escapes from her and winds up in the town of Purgatory. The town's inhabitants have been expecting the arrival of Swifty Morgan (Chuck Connors), the famous gunfighter. All things being equal, Latigo is happy to be mistaken for Morgan's sidekick, while Jug May (Jack Elam) impersonates Morgan himself. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
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- Starring:
- James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)

- 1971
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It's an unhappy birthday for Officer Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) when he forgets to renew his driver's license. As a result, Malloy's partner is forced to take the wheel of Adam-12 for the first time--and both men are nervous over the prospect. This episode's case log includes a fatalistic bank robber, an infant abandoned in a trash can, a drug dealer who sells his wares from an ice cream truck, a man who is burglarized by his neighbors, a woman who commits murder as an "anniversary present", and an baby abandoned in a trash can. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1970
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While tension runs high between Americans and Mexicans in Texas, a group of Army engineers travel in disguise, with female prisoners posing as their wives, while they attempt to map important routes for the war effort. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
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- 1969
- PG
- Add The Good Guys and the Bad Guys to Queue
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In this comic western, Flagg (Robert Mitchum) is a veteran marshal forced to retire by the pompous Mayor Wilker (Martin Balsam). McKay (George Kennedy) is a wily gunslinger. The two combine forces to stop a young band of outlaws from robbing the train when it pulls into the station. Flagg warns the mayor of the upcoming attempt but is not taken seriously by the town politician. McKay and Flagg ride out to warn the train of the impending crime, which finds McKay facing members of his own gang in a traditional western showdown. David and John Carradine appear in this feature along with Tina Louise and Lois Nettleton. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, George Kennedy, (more)

- 1968
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It was supposed to look like a suicide, but the death of a government contractor on a ski-lift near Denver was actually the handiwork of enemy spy Glen Parmenter (Barry Morse). In order to ensnare Parmenter, Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) poses as drug-addicted government employee, willing to be "corrupted" into handing over top-secret information to the Other Side. Managing to infiltrate Parmenter's mountain-cabin headquarters, Erskine finds out that the female of the species--namely Elaine Ross (Victor Shaw)--can be just as deadly as the male in the espionage business. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1966
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- Add Chamber of Horrors to Queue
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This dull House of Wax variant involves a claw-handed escaped maniac (Patrick O'Neal), who rampages through late 19th-century Baltimore on a mission of vengeance. Hot on his trail are the proprietors of a "House of Horrors" wax museum and their Mexican dwarf sidekick Tun-Tun. Initially conceived as a TV movie, this tepid horror-thriller was instead spiced up with additional gore and violence for theatrical release. Apparently this was still not enough, as the producers then decided to add a few William Castle-type gimmicks -- the "Fear Flasher" and "Horror Horn" -- to prepare audiences for upcoming bouts of onscreen bloodletting. Unfortunately, no such device was employed to warn viewers of imminent boredom. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Cesare Danova, Wilfrid Hyde-White, (more)

- 1965
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Virginia City is held in a grip of terror by the vicious family of condemned killer Harry Lassiter (Jack Chaplain. Cold-blooded matriarch Ma Lassiter (Marie Windsor) promises to kidnap one citizen per day until Harry is set free. Things get personal for the Cartwrights when Little Joe is among those abducted by Ma's murderous brood. In addition to guest-star Marie Windsor, another film noir stalwart, John Hoyt, is seen as Major Sutcliffe. First broadcast on December 5, 1965, "Five Sundowns to Sunup" was written by William L. Stuart. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)

- 1965
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Pop singer Tommy Sands guest stars as Richard Bain, a young West Point cadet. Facing expulsion for defending Jason McCord's behavior at the Battle of Bitter Creek, Bain is given 30 days to recant his words--or face a dishonor and disgrace comparable to that suffered by McCord (Chuck Connors). As the story progresses, McCord must weigh the option of salvaging his own reputation by ruining Bain's. Prominent in the supporting cast is celebrated "film noir" veteran Marie Windsor ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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